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Fire department requests $59.3M, 10 new FTEs and a Sugar House truck as call volume rises
Summary
Chief Carl Leif presented a FY27 request of $59.3 million that would fund 10 new FTEs (9 firefighters and one civilian supervisor) and add a 0.25 truck for Sugar House; the chief highlighted the department's ISO Class 1 rating and growing service demand (about 45,000 calls last year) and urged investment in wildland preparedness and prevention staffing.
Salt Lake City Fire Chief Carl Leif told council that the department's FY27 proposed budget totals about $59.3 million, an increase of roughly 8.3% that would fund 10 new positions (nine firefighters and one civilian supervisor/fire inspector) and additional wildland‑related equipment. "We are operating out of 14 fire stations across the city. Last year, we responded to approximately 45,000 calls for assistance," the chief said, citing the operational demands driving the request.
Chief Leif highlighted accomplishments that include maintaining an ISO Class 1 rating and completing Station 1 bay extensions; he also described efficiencies such as a new wildland coordinator and temporary staff reassignments to address permit and prevention workloads. The department requested funding for a 0.25 truck to be based at Station 3 in Sugar House (to provide vertical capability in denser, higher‑risk neighborhoods) and noted that adding social workers to an existing chat team squad would be a relatively low‑cost way to expand community response capacity. Council members asked about call growth, wildfire preparedness, and options to manage non‑emergency service demand.
